Earning the Leopard
by Lily Hanson
Summary: When Dustin and Kaylee return home to the Wind Ninja Academy, Kaylee learns she's being trained for a new mission. But spending the past few months in bliss had made her oblivious, costing her the most precious gift in the world. Dustee, Tori/Blake
1. Tests Gone Wrong

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers in any way, shape or form. They belong to Disney. I only own Kaylee Hanson and the storyline for this story.**

**Author's Note:** Alright, so onto the next Story of the Kaylee Series, Earning the Leopard. I wrote this a really long time ago and had to look it over and edit it myself but after reading it so many times in the past... close to a year now, I couldn't sit through it long enough to edit, so while posting OO I did bits and pieces of it. What I'm trying to say is, if this isn't up to par with the usual quality, bare with me please. Hopefully the next few chapters will be improved.

I hope you all enjoy this sub-season. It's basically a tie in for Operation Overdrive and Jungle Fury, but it is really important to the rest of the Kaylee series. You definately cannot skip this story.

Enjoy! :)

* * *

Earning the Leopard

Kaylee dropped her bags after closing the door to her room. She had just been picked up at the airport by Blake and was anxious to go to bed. Though she had spent the last little while in a hotel with Dustin, resting from saving the world, she was still exhausted from her ride home. Sadly the flight home from San Angeles was over-freaking-night! Blake opened the door behind her and dropped her last bag before giving her a hug.

"I'll tell the others you're here," he smiled, happy to have her home. Though it wasn't the ideal home, the Wind Ninja Academy was going to be her temporary home while Cam trained her in a different fighting style. Seeing as she was a favourite for mentor/rangers nowadays, he figured she would be perfect for whatever plan he had in his overworking brain.

"Tell them not to wake me up though," Kaylee yawned as she squeezed Ducky, making it quack. She let out a giggle before crawling into bed and getting under the green blankets.

"Do you want your pyjamas?" Blake asked his sister in-law. When there was no response, he asked again. "Kaylee? Kayl?"

He turned around and saw that the blond had fallen asleep. Blake smiled, tucking her in and leaving the room in the dark so she could catch up on her sleep.

When he got outside, he ran into Shane. The red Ranger was excited to have his friend home, and wanted to say hi, but he calmed down when he saw Blake quietly leave the room, and slowly shut the door.

"Right, I forgot how tiring it is saving the world," Shane laughed.

"She'll be up in a few hours," Blake smiled, walking down the hall so he could see his wife again. He had to get up early in the morning to pick up Kaylee and didn't get the chance to really see Tori at all yet.

"So what do you think Cam has planned for her?" Shane asked his long time friend. Blake just shrugged as the boys finally reached the Sensei's room.

"Probably something really awesome that none of us are going to get to enjoy," Blake answered. He found Tori on the couch, still in her pyjamas, and sat next to her. He noticed she seemed bored, and as soon as he started paying attention to the people talking, he knew why.

"So then we like, totally told cousin that there was like, this party and we just had to go!" Kapri said as Marah nodded, agreeing with every word her sister said.

"You don't say," Tori frowned, not at all interested.

"Totally," Marah said. Tori rolled her eyes and found her escape plan when she noticed Blake beside her.

"Blake, didn't you have something you wanted to show me, you know in the..." Tori cleared her throat as her eyes showed Blake she meant the bedrooms. He started turning red and he pulled on his collar. He didn't have to say anything before the two girls ran from the couch, screaming.

"Eww! We, like, totally could have gone our whole life without hearing that!" Kapri whined. Tori watched the girls go and turned to Blake, smiling.

"Thank you," she laughed, putting her head on his shoulder. Blake realised she was just kidding and rested his head on hers.

"Kaylee's sleeping in her room. Though I'm guessing with that loud pitch scream from bug head, she's going to be here soon," Blake laughed.

Hunter and the others sat down next to the couple with Dustin eating his breakfast. He had been lucky enough to catch an earlier flight and was already well rested.

"So you finally proposed," Blake smiled, watching the engaged yellow Ranger stuff his eggs in his mouth and swallowed them, whole.

"Yep," Dustin smiled, "In April I asked her. She totally said yes!"

"And you didn't book the same flight?" Hunter frowned. "That is a weak start to forever, bro."

"It's close to Christmas. We couldn't get the same flight home, so I took the first one and Kaylee took the second," Dustin explained as egg dropped from his mouth. He suddenly put the plate on the coffee table and smiled. "Maybe I should save some of this for when she wakes up."

Tori looked down at the eggs and frowned. "Don't worry about it, Dustin," she smiled, staring at the chewed up pieces that went unnoticed by everyone else, "I'll make her fresh eggs."

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

When Kaylee finally did wake up, she felt a little sick; just like she had been feeling for almost two months now since after the Halloween party. She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, reaching the toilet just before throwing up. As she did, she felt a hand on her back and her hair being pulled away from her face.

"Welcome home," Tori laughed, watching as her sister threw up the airplane food into the toilet.

"Probably something I ate," Kaylee breathed as she backed away from the toilet and sat on the floor.

"Since the party?" Tori asked. Dustin had told her Kaylee wasn't feeling well, and Tori believed him when she heard her baby sister puking from the hall. Kaylee shrugged, allowing Tori to help her up. "Want anything to calm your stomach?"

"Naw, I feel better," Kaylee smiled. She grabbed her yellow sweatshirt and some gum while she followed Tori down the hall to meet the others. Instead of hugging everyone, like her friends thought she would, the small girl curled up on the couch between Blake and Dustin. She put her head on Dustin's lap and smiled to the others.

"Good morning," she said, waving a hand and sticking the gum in her mouth. It wasn't the best way to cover up her barf, but it was better than nothing.

"Kayl, it's one in the afternoon," Shane laughed, waving back.

"But I just woke up, so my brain says morning," Kaylee smiled. Cam put a plate of food in front of Kaylee, but the blond refused to eat.

"You might want to Kay," Cam frowned, still holding the plate of food. "As soon as you're done you're starting your training."

Kaylee's jaw dropped as she looked up at the computer geek. Cam just looked down at her, his expression not changing into one of sympathy.

"The airplane ride wasn't that long, Kayl," Cam laughed. "And training now is a part of your training."

Kaylee titled her head in confusion. Cam just smiled, so she stood up and followed him, seeing as she refused to eat her breakfast anyways. Before the two were gone, Tori grabbed a piece of toast from Kaylee's plate and held it up.

"At least eat this!" she called, tossing the toast to her sister. "You're going to need it."

Kaylee took a bite from the toast and stuck her tongue out at her sister before the door shut behind her.

"Why won't she eat?" Hunter frowned, worried about the green Ranger. It wasn't like her to refuse food.

"She's been sick for the last few days," Dustin explained. "She doesn't know why, and I think it's the shrimp."

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

Kaylee rocked on her feet as she stood in front of Cam. They were waiting for some Master dude to show up. Kaylee smiled when she thought about Cam's lecture on why he was a Master and not a Sensei. The blond had called Master Mao Sensei Mao and that set Cam off on his rant.

"So, is this _Master_ Mao person going to show up soon?" Kaylee asked. She looked around the room and saw pictures of animals. The ones that stuck out for Kaylee were the Tiger, cheetah, Jaguar, Lion and the snow Leopard.

"I'm right here," a man in orange said as he walked into the room with a scroll. He noticed the girl he was training seemed tired. He smiled and bowed, "I'm Master Mao."

Kaylee bowed to the Master. "Kaylee Hanson... sorta Sensei."

Mao turned to Cam and frowned. The older green Ranger mouthed something that the blonde failed to understand, but it caused Master Mao to smile.

"Our first test will show your speed in battle," Master Mao said as his arms were brought up in front of him.

"Begin," Cam smiled. Kaylee turned to her friend, but was suddenly attacked by the so called master. "HEY! No attacking! I'm not ready!"

Kaylee ducked under a punch thrown by the Master and quickly swept his feet out from under him, knocking him down. It happened so quickly, that Cam failed to see it.

"I guess pass," Cam asked. Master Mao nodded as Kaylee helped him up.

"I did pretty well for someone who wasn't ready," Kaylee smiled, feeling a sense of pride at beating the master.

"Next test, strength," Master Mao said as the door behind Kaylee opened and Marah walked in. Kaylee glared at the girl and whispered her usual "bug head" comment. Over the years, Kaylee and Marah had warmed up to each other, but the nickname bug head still stuck, seeing as Kaylee could hold a long grudge.

"I thought you said strength," Kaylee frowned. "Shouldn't I be lifting boulders or something?"

"Animals each have their own qualities that make them unique. A cheetah is known for its speed, like you have shown me," Master Mao explained.

"So am I a cheetah?" Kaylee asked.

"A tiger is known for its strength," Master Mao continued. "But not all tigers are alike in strength. With some, strength is physical, and with some, it's emotional."

Kaylee nodded, showing the Master she understood. She turned to Marah and waited for the signal to start fighting.

"Begin," Master Mao smiled. As he watched the two girls fight, Cam whispered to the Master.

"How is this strength?"

"I know of Kaylee's grudge against Marah, and I want to see if she's strong enough to keep her emotions from taking the best of her."

Cam nodded in understanding. He turned back to the fight and smiled when he saw Kaylee was doing very well.

While watching the spar between the girls, Master Mao noticed Kaylee possessed the speed of a cheetah, the strength of a tiger, and the stealth of a jaguar. He had an idea as to the animal spirit she possessed, he just needed to test her some more.

Kaylee blocked a kick from Marah as she started feeling a little woozy. Suddenly, the younger, formerly evil sister aimed a punch for Kaylee's stomach. Kaylee didn't have the time to block it and bent over in pain. Marah's leg swung around quickly, nailing Kaylee once more in the stomach. Kaylee groaned in pain and clutched her stomach. Seeing how weak her opponent had become, Marah aimed another punch at the same spot. Kaylee fell down, her stomach hitting her knee as she fell.

She thought the pain was only going to last a few seconds, but the pain just got worse and worse as the seconds went by. Kaylee clutched her stomach and curled up.

Cam ran over to Kaylee and knelt down next to her. He put his hand on her back and tried to calm her down. "Kayl, you okay?"

Kaylee shook her head, holding her stomach tighter as the pain grew. Cam started to worry as he watched her suffer. He knew she had been hit in the stomach before, and Marah's blow was in no way stronger than anything Kaylee's been hit with before. He pulled his cousin down to comfort Kaylee as he ran out of the room to get Tori and Dustin.

Marah had no idea what to do, so she turned to Master Mao, but noticed he was gone. Her panic didn't last long as Tori and Dustin rushed into the room.

"Kayl," Tori asked, holding her sister in a sitting position, only to have Kaylee fold over in two. Cam was already on the phone with the medical team. Dustin sat down in front of Kaylee and positioned her so she could look him in the eyes.

"Kaylee, where does it hurt?" he asked his fiancé. Kaylee didn't answer. Dustin noticed that Kaylee seemed a bit distant, and knew what was happening next. Kaylee's eyes then rolled back as she passed out.


	2. Never Known Never Forgotten Always Loved

**Author's Note:** Finally you guys will figure out what's been bugging Kaylee since the Halloween Party.

* * *

"Perfect timing," was the first voice Kaylee heard when she finally woke up. She looked around and saw she was in a hospital room. Her sight was still a little blurred, but she could just make out the person who had spoken to her.

"Leanne?" she asked, turning to the blurred person as her vision slowly cleared. When it finally did, Kaylee noticed that her former Sensei had a stethoscope around her neck. Kaylee found it weird, seeing as Leanne usually wasn't one to play around, especially in a hospital. Other than that, Leanne was dressed normally.

Instead of speaking again, Kaylee just pointed to the medical device. Leanne understood immediately and smiled.

"While you were gone, I not only ran the Thunder Ninja Academy with Hunter, but I also finished training at the Wind Ninja Academy and earned the title of Sensei there, as well as unofficial Master at the Pai Zhuq, the school you're going to be sent to," Leanne explained, keeping her words as short and simple as she could. "And when I wasn't doing that, I went to medical school, graduate and got a job here. I also have a degree in psychology and…"

"Too much time," Kaylee interrupted, sitting up in her bed, only to realise her stomach didn't hurt nearly as much as it had before she passed out.

"You could say that," Leanne laughed. Kaylee smiled as she looked up at her sensei and doctor and failed to notice that behind Leanne's smile was a look of disappointment and a feeling of failure.

The red head sat down next to the water samurai on the bed as her face slowly fell, revealing her true feelings to her former student.

"Leah..." Kaylee frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Kayl, the other doctors and I tried everything we could... there was just... no hope," Leanne started.

Kaylee started freaking out. Why would Leanne be so upset about whatever it was that was upsetting her? She was alive right? Leanne was talking to her, so something must have gone right in whatever they did to make her better. The blonde quickly patted herself down, making sure she had all her limbs and body parts.

Leanne grabbed her arms, successfully stopping her.

"I already know the answer to some of these... but I need to ask you some questions," Leanne said, grabbing a small green clipboard and leaving the other one, the one that belonged to the hospital, on the end table. "My first question: how long have you been sexually active?"

Kaylee's smile fell as her face started turning red, "Why um... why would you need to know that?"

"Kayl, this isn't going on your medical stuff, so you don't have to be honest," Leanne said. "But the other doctors already have no idea why what happened, happened. I think you own me for covering for you."

"Do they know you know me?" Kaylee asked. Leanne shook her head.

"That's the reason why it was so hard," Leanne frowned. "Now, you owe me."

"I think this owe is a little personal though," Kaylee sighed. "Can't I buy you a coffee? Or give you a special Ducky pass?"

"I'm not asking this only as your friend Kayl," Leanne explained. "As your doctor, I need to know."

"The night of the Halloween party... that was our first time," Kaylee told the older girl, "the first and only time."

Leanne marked something down on the clipboard as she asked the next question. "When was the last time you had your period?"

"LEAH!"

"Kayl, I'm not playing with you. Answer the questions."

Kaylee groaned, putting her head in her hands as she thought about it, "Two months ago."

"Did you get it after you and Dustin-?"

"No," Kaylee interrupted.

"Did you find that weird?"

"I didn't think anything of it?" Kaylee admitted. Leanne wrote something else down on the clipboard. "Why are you asking this? What the hell does it have to do with half-friend-half-doctor thing?"

A tear formed in Leanne's eyes as she turned the clipboard over, showing Kaylee what she had written.

_I'm Sorry._

"Leah..."

"Before everything happened, you were about two, maybe three months pregnant," Leanne said softly. "When Marah hit you in the stomach, it was too much for the baby and it passed away. While the other doctors were trying to figure out why it was dying, I tried to save it, knowing what happened..."

"Why couldn't the other doctor's know?"

"Because then Marah would have to explain why she was attacking you, and unless she told the doctors about the Academies and you're Ranger secrets, she would probably have to deal with a lawyer, a courtroom, a judge and a jury."

Kaylee nodded in understanding, allowing Leanne to continue.

"Unfortunately, the baby passed away. I guess fighting Kamdor, Miratrix, the Fearcats, Moltor and Flurious kept it from growing strong. The hit was just too much for it to handle. And by the way you answered the questions, I'm pretty sure you had no idea about the baby so there was nothing you could do," Leanne sighed. "The other doctors spend hours analysing everything they could about the baby, trying to find a disease or something that would cause the baby to die but... Kayl?"

"Don't tell me it died," Kaylee whispered as a tear fell down her cheek. Leanne nodded, taking Kaylee's hand in hers for comfort.

"I knew why the baby... left, so I spent my time trying to help you with naming it. When the doctors were done looking at the chromosomes, I checked and found out it was supposed to be a baby girl."

Kaylee didn't say a word but Leanne understood perfectly. When Kaylee was fighting alongside the other rangers, she didn't have a Zord, and never fought when the monster grew tall. Instead, she would go back to ninja ops with Leanne, and the two would either play with the toys, or, if Kaylee was feeling a little less childish, she and Leanne would talk.

Leanne learned a lot about Kaylee during those talks. She learned that Kaylee had always wanted to be a mother, since before she could even pronounce the word. As a child, Kaylee loved mothering her dolls. The older she got, the stronger the feeling got and Kaylee grew excited at the chance of being a mother.

She also learned that, though Kaylee did destroy monsters on a daily basis, she hated death. Just the thought could be enough to bring a tear the girl's eyes. But most of all, she hated the death of something so innocent and defenceless, like an unborn child, who never got the chance to see or feel love.

"No one else knows about it," Leanne continued. "I figured it wasn't my place to tell. You can do as you want though. Whether you choose to tell the others, or not, your secret's safe with me. But I would tell Dustin if I were you... he was the father and in my opinion, he has a right to know."

"Leanne, did you really try everything you could?" Kaylee asked as her hand moved to her stomach. Leanne nodded and pulled her in a hug, letting the girl cry on her shoulder.

Dustin walked into the room not too long after the hug started, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a balloon that said _Get Well Soon_.

Leanne noticed the yellow Ranger and broke away from the hug, letting Dustin take over. Dustin noticed Kaylee had been crying and put his things on the ground and ran over to her bed.

"Kayl, what happened?" he asked, knowing there was nothing wrong with his future wife. She had been allowed to leave the hospital once she felt strong enough to do so.

Kaylee didn't answer. She couldn't find the words to tell Dustin that their child died. Instead, she just let him hold her.

Leanne watched for a minute before leaving the two alone. She turned down the hall and headed to the waiting room, where the others should have been waiting for her.

"How is she?" Tori asked. She was sitting on one of the chairs, with her butt on the back rest, and her head hanging upside down. Leanne frowned at the blonde, but figured she and the others were probably bored of waiting. It was either that, or Tori found something to drink and had too much of it.

"She's fine," Leanne smiled. Tori smiled back as she flipped over on the chair, so she was sitting properly. "Just a little upset."

"Upset?" Shane frowned.

"She'll tell you when she's ready."

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

Dustin was out getting dinner for the three, as Tori and Kaylee finished unpacking Kaylee's bags, and the two got settled into Tori and Blake's (which was Kaylee and Tori's old house). Kaylee and Dustin still hadn't bought a place together, and Kaylee was supposed to stay with Tori and Blake until they did, but with the trip to the hospital, and Kaylee's situation, they made some arrangements to make the samurai a little less uncomfortable.

Kaylee had told Tori she wanted to talk to her, so Dustin offered to leave for the food. Once everything was settled down, and Tori was sure Blake was settled at Hunter's place, the two started talking.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me, that you couldn't say with Dustin or Blake in the house?" Tori asked, offering her sister a glass of water.

"I was pregnant," Kaylee whispered. Tori barely heard what her sister had said, but caught the key word.

"You... Kayl?"

"Dustin and I ... you know... when he came to the Halloween party. It had been months since we last saw each other," Kaylee explained, "I had no idea I was pregnant because... well, I'm twenty one years old, engaged to a man I love who I never get to see. I didn't stop to think that maybe me being late was a sign of pregnancy."

"You didn't think?" Tori frowned, sitting beside the younger blonde and wrapping her arms around Kaylee. "If you're gonna start having sex, you have to be ready to think! I know it's a great feeling, and I know how much you wanted to move onto the next step with Dustin. But you should have thought about whether or not you were ready for the consequences."

"Are you mad?" Kaylee asked. She knew Tori wasn't keen on sex before marriage, and though she didn't force other people to think like her, Kaylee knew her older sister expected better than that.

"I'm not mad at you Kayl," Tori smiled. "You waited until you found someone you love, and I'm guessing you have no regrets."

"Never!" Kaylee yelled.

"I'm just... sad," Tori frowned. "I know how excited you were to be a mother. I'm sorry you missed that chance."

Tori pulled her sister in a tight hug. "Have you told Dustin yet?"

Kaylee shook her head. Tori felt it on her shoulder and smiled softly as she kissed her sister.

"I don't know how to tell him," Kaylee cried. "It was his child too, and it would break his heart!"

Tori pulled away and looked her sister in the eyes. "We're going to get through this, alright kiddo?" she smiled. "You know you can always talk to me; whether it's five in the afternoon, or three in the morning. And I'll help you tell Dustin if you need me."

Kaylee shook her head and smiled. Slowly, her smile started to fade as her lower lip started to quiver. Tears formed in the smaller blonde's eyes before they became too much. "I miss her. I never got to see her, hold her... I never told her I loved her."

Tori grabbed a pillow from the couch, and gave it to her sister while she went upstairs. Kaylee waited for Tori to come back as she cuddled the pillow. By the time Tori came back down, the top of the pillow was wet with tears. Tori pulled the pillow away and placed a doll in her sister's hands. The doll was wrapped in a pink blanket, and had a small pink hat on its head.

"I know it's just a doll, and it could never replace the baby you lost, but this way you get to say goodbye," Tori smiled, sitting beside her sister.

Kaylee looked down at the doll, adjusting it in her arms so it was resting like a real child. She remembered the doll from her childhood. It was her favourite doll. It's "skin" was soft, like a real baby's skin. And its eyes would close if its head was level with the rest of its body.

Though it was just a doll, to Tori and Kaylee, it looked real. Kaylee put her feet up on the couch, so it was like she was lying in the hospital bed. She looked down at her "daughter" and smiled.

Dustin chose this moment to walk inside the house and saw his future wife, and future sister in law playing what looked to be a game of house. He set the food on the coffee table and took Tori's spot beside Kaylee.

The green Ranger looked up at her sister and smiled weakly before turning to Dustin.

"I'm sorry... our baby didn't make it."

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

_Kaylee was resting in her hospital bed, with her beautiful newborn daughter sleeping in her arms. Dustin was right beside her, with his arm resting on her pillow. He looked down at his baby and smiled before kissing it on the forehead._

"_I'll always love you, Samantha," he whispered, gently rubbing his finger along Samantha's cheek. Dustin suddenly disappeared, leaving only Kaylee and Samantha._

_The newborn started crying, and Kaylee knew exactly what to do. She held the child close to her heart and breathed gently._

_At the sound of her mother's heartbeat, the child stopped crying and went back to sleep. Kaylee gently hugged her daughter and whispered loving words in her ear._

_Samantha slowly started disappearing, but Kaylee couldn't be happier. She let her daughter wrap her little hand around her finger and leaned in close._

"_I'll never forget you, Sammy. You'll always be my little angel. I love you."_

_Samantha looked up at her mother and cooed gently before disappearing like her father had done._

Back in reality, Kaylee was sleeping on the couch, with the doll curled up in her arms. In her hair, the green streak that had become her trademark had been replaced with a soft pink color.

Dustin put the blankets on top of his future wife and smiled as he kissed the top of her head. When he heard he had lost his unborn daughter, he was as broken hearted as Kaylee. He knew he would never be the same again.

In his hair, there was a small pink streak that had been dyed, in honour of his daughter.

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

The following morning, Dustin walked into the kitchen. He was surprised to see the guys, Marah and Kapri already there, eating their breakfast. As soon as they all noticed the pink in his hair, they started laughing.

"Dude, you know pink is for girls right?" Shane laughed. Dustin tried not to get angry. He knew the guys and the twin sisters didn't know about Kaylee's miscarriage. He was about to explain, when Tori walked into the room, with a pink streak in her blond hair.

"Okay, did we miss something?" Blake asked, noticing the streak in his wife's hair. "Are we supposed to be supporting breast cancer or something?"

Tori laughed slightly as she sat down beside the motocross star. Leanne walked into the house shortly after and the others all noticed something different about her as well. Instead of having solid red hair, there was a small streak that was discoloured. Because pink wouldn't show as well in her red, Leanne had decided to outline her pink with a soft yellow color. Though the yellow didn't symbolize anything like the pink did, Leanne's intention was still the same.

"Can we get an explanation now?" Hunter asked.

Knowing Marah was in the room, Dustin had to be gently with the way he explained the pink to the others.

"When Kaylee was punched in the stomach, she was pregnant. The baby, unfortunately, didn't make it."

Marah's eyes widened as she realised what she had done, "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!"

"We don't blame you, Marah," Dustin smiled, hoping to make the bug head feel better. "Kaylee didn't even know about the pregnancy, so there was no way you could have known. And if you did, I know you wouldn't have attacked her stomach."

Marah took a little comfort in knowing that she wasn't being blamed for the death of the baby, but she still left the room in tears, with Kapri right behind her.

"So why are you all wearing pink in your hair? And your clothes?" Hunter asked, pointing to Leanne's pink hair, and finally realising that the three were also wearing something pink.

Because Dustin didn't own any pink clothes, he made the best of what he had. He found an old piece of cloth in Kaylee's room and ripped it up. The cloth was now tied around his wrist to make a pink bracelet.

Tori wasn't known to wear pink. If she didn't wear blue, then she was wearing white, black, or navy blue. The blonde found an old pink shirt that still fit her and put it on under her blue sweat shirt. So that the pink was visible, she left the zipper open.

For as long as Hunter and Blake had known Leanne, she had never owned anything pink. So it was surprising to see that she wore a pink t-shirt over a pale pink long sleeve. On top of all that, she also had a small tattoo on the inside of her wrist. It wasn't permanent, but it stood out enough. The tattoo was a small pink bear, obviously symbolising a baby. Underneath the bear was the name _Samantha Hanson-Brooks_.

"The baby was supposed to be a little girl," Leanne explained, answering Hunter's question. "The pink is there to show the baby that we won't forget it."

"And the tattoo?" Cam asked. Leanne showed the boys her tattoo, as Tori and Dustin pulled up their sleeves, revealing a pink teddy bear. On Tori's tattoo, there were the words _Never Known._ Dustin's tattoo had the words _Never Forgotten_.

Kaylee finally woke up and made her way to the kitchen. The boys saw that she was dressed completely in pink, and the pink streak in her hair was slightly bigger than the others.

Kaylee made her was over to Dustin, and put herself in his arms. Dustin held her close and rocked her gently. As he did, he grabbed her wrist and pulled up her sleeve, showing the boys a tattoo, which was permanent.

Kaylee's tattoo was slightly different from the others. Instead of having a small pink bear, a pink heart covered most of her inner wrist. Inside the heart was the name _Samantha._

Underneath the heart were the last few words to the little saying the others had been trying to send to the boys, _Always Loved._

Being the only uncle in the room, Blake was first to head over to the sink, where the pink hair dye had been left from the night before.

"I'll go first," he smiled, holding up the bottle.

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

_Samantha Hanson-Brooks_

_Never Known_

_Never Forgotten_

_Always Loved_

Those words were written in stone in the cemetery. Kaylee put some lilies on her unborn daughter's grave as she shed some tears. There had been no body to bury, but Kaylee and Dustin wanted a funeral for an official goodbye to the daughter they had never known. Though Samantha's life wasn't lived, and she had never been involved in her parent's life, she made a great impact.

Even Tori didn't understand why a child Kaylee and Dustin didn't know they had, could cause such sadness. She understood that Kaylee and Dustin were crushed. Whether it had been born, nine months along in the womb, or three months along, it was still their child. It was still Tori's niece.

Tori looked down at her wrist. The tattoo was already starting the fade, but the words were still in her heart. She looked around at the others.

Kapri's hair was naturally pink, so there wasn't much she could do to show she cared for Samantha, but her concern for Marah and Kaylee was enough.

Marah didn't dye her hair, but she shed tears everyday for the life she had accidentally taken away. She apologized every chance she could, but there was no way she could bring back the child.

The streaks in the boys' hair were starting to fade, but they were all trying hard to keep the pink there until the funeral was over.

Because of Leanne's red hair, the pink had faded completely, but the yellow still showed slightly. She hadn't wanted to put the pink streak back in for the funeral. She wanted the streak to represent the life the child had. If Samantha couldn't come back, there was no reason something as simple and useless as hair should get a second chance. But her tattoo was still in perfect condition.

Dustin's pink streak was still in his hair, and the tattoo was there as well. Nothing much had changed about his appearance for the funeral. After all, it was his daughter.

Naturally, Kaylee's tattoo was still there, and her streak was still alive as well. Kaylee even wore a pink shirt under her black coat.

The coffin, which should have been holding a body, was filled with pink baby toys everyone had bought for Samantha. The coffin itself was mainly pink, but Dustin had suggested putting a little bit of Samantha's family on the box.

The lid of the coffin had a green and yellow heart that was similar to Kaylee's tattoo. The coffin was outlined in blue and navy blue. The handles were red and a darker shade of green. The pillows inside the coffin were white.

Normally, everyone would have thought of it as a really ugly and tacky coffin. They would have thought that whoever chose it had no respect for the person inside. But the colors all had a meaning, making it special.

_I've had my wake up,_

_Won't you wake up?_

_I keep asking why._

_And I can't take it,_

_It wasn't fake it,_

_Happened you passed by._

_Now you're gone,_

_Now you're gone,_

_There you go,_

_There you go,_

_Somewhere I can't bring you back_

_Now you're gone,_

_Now you're gone,_

_There you go,_

_There you go,_

_Somewhere you're not coming back._

_The day you slipped away,_

_Was the day I found it won't be the same,_

_Na Na,_

_Na Na Na Na Na,_

_I miss you._

_Slipped Away- Avril Lavigne_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: **Most of you who guessed were right. Kaylee was pregnant. Unfortunately it had to end like this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm sorry if I made you cry. Pretty much all my friends who read this were mad at me for making them tear up, especially when someone walked in and saw them only to go WTF?

The song Slipped Away belongs to Avril Lavigne. She wrote it herself for her grandfather who passed. It fit beautifully with this chapter so I included it.


	3. A Little Messed Up

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the positive feedback for the last chapter. I know it's sad that Kaylee and Dustin both lost their daughter, and I know that according to my profile, they are going to have another, but you can never replace a child. It's definately going to take some time for them to heal.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"I came as soon as I could!" Kira Ford smiled as she ran into the Bradley household and found everyone in the living room. She hugged Dustin gently, whispering _I'm sorry_, in his ear before sitting down next to Kaylee, who was once again curled up on the couch, with her doll in her arms. "How are you holding up?"

Kaylee looked up at her friend before letting her body fall forward. Kira understood immediately and pulled the blonde in a hug. "You didn't deserve this, Kayl," Kira frowned. As she pulled away from the hug, she noticed the streak in the blonde's hair was now pink, instead of its usual green. She also noticed that Kaylee was only wearing pink and black, whereas she would usually wear something green. "Did I miss the theme?"

"The baby was supposed to be a girl," Leanne whispered to the yellow Ranger.

"Ah," Kira breathed, turning to Dustin and seeing the pink in his hair. She looked down at what she was wearing and frowned. "I'm only doing this because I love you guys."

With that, Kira walked away.

"Tough love?" Hunter frowned, seeing his ex leaving the room, when Kaylee and Dustin needed her most. Dustin frowned at the dirty blond, but knew he was only trying to lighten the mood.

When Kira finally came back, everyone noticed she had changed her shirt. It was no longer the regular yellow and black, but it was solid pink. Ignoring the scarred looks from the guys, Kira took her spot on the couch again.

Kira wasn't known to wear anything pink, at anytime. And even though this was a very emotional moment for Kaylee, the guys just thought that Kira was going to offer support. They never would have thought she would actually go as far as putting on something pink, never mind bright, solid pink.

Conner chose that moment to come inside. He made his way to the living room, where he figured everyone would be. He failed to notice Kaylee and Dustin were in the room, so thinking it was only the guys, he came in all happy. That is, until he saw what he thought was his fiancée, dressed in pink.

"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Kira?" he asked. Kira's head whipped around as she glared at him, telling him it wasn't the time to joke around. Conner caught the glare and noticed that the green and yellow couple was, in fact, in the room. He smiled a sad smile as he walked up to Dustin, patting the older man on the shoulder. Conner then went over to the couch, pulling Kaylee in a hug and kissing the top of her head.

Kira noticed Kaylee clinging to the doll and made an attempt to take the doll away, so that Kaylee could focus on her. When she did, she heard Kaylee whisper something.

"What did you say?" Kira asked as she and Tori leaned in closer.

"Don't take my baby," Kaylee whispered again, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Tori turned to Blake, with a look of fear in her eyes.

"Kayl," she whispered, looking back at her little sister. "It's only a doll."

"No it's not," Kaylee whispered, holding the doll closer to her. "It's Sammy. Can't you see it?"

"Is she on painkillers or something?" Conner asked, only to be punched, hard, in the arm by Dustin. He also received a warning glare from the yellow ninja, telling him to keep quiet.

Dustin knelt down beside the couch, hoping Kaylee would listen to him. "Kayl, Sammy's... gone. Remember, we had her funeral so we could say goodbye?"

"It's probably denial," Leanne remarked.

"Are you a psychiatrist as well?" Blake frowned, looking up at his semi-adoptive sister.

"Stages of grief," she explained. "I'm guessing this one is denial. Kaylee refuses to believe she lost her daughter, so she's replacing it with the doll."

Kira smiled as she turned back to the green Ranger. This time, she didn't try to take the doll away and jumped right into the conversation.

"I know you've already had the funeral and all, but I was thinking. Maybe you could do something more to say goodbye to Jamie?"

"Sammy," Conner whispered, having heard of the name from Dustin.

"Sammy," Kira corrected herself. "You know that hobby we both have, and haven't been able to do together in like, forever?"

Kaylee looked up and shook her head. Conner smiled as he stood up and pulled some papers out from his pocket.

"I rented out this neat little arena in Ocean Bluff," he smiled. "I took care of the tickets and advertising myself. Thanks to the internet and both your lovely voices, we're going to put on a show to allow not only you and Dustin, but fans around the world to say goodbye to Sammy."

Kaylee looked up at her second Ranger leader as her jaw dropped to the floor.

"You, did all that?" Kaylee asked. "In a few short days?"

"Well, Ethan helped with the internet stuff, and Haley made some posters to attract fans from Cyberspace, but everything is paid for. Hell, my soccer campers are also going to be there, selling things from tiny soccer balls, to stuffed toys to raise money to help other women suffering from their miscarriage," Conner finished.

Kaylee bit her lower lip and smiled. She watched as Dustin and Conner hugged, thanking the red Dino Ranger for all his hard work. Then, Kaylee handed her doll to Tori and jumped into Conner's arms. Conner wrapped his arms around her small body and squeezed her tight when he felt her starting to cry.

"You're the best, not really brother in-law in the world!" she smiled, choking back tears. "Oh, what the hell! You're the best brother in-law ever!"

Blake turned from Kaylee, to Tori and frowned. Tori just shrugged, laughing.

"He kinda bought her hope," she explained.

"I put pink in my hair for her!" Blake frowned, pointing to what little pink was left in his dark hair.

Tori just continued laughing as she pulled her husband in a hug. "Aw, well if it makes you feel better, you can be my best brother in law."

Blake glared down at Tori as the blonde bit her lower lip in a playful way. "It's just weird now."

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

Kaylee and Kira had been on stage for nearly an hour now and the fans were still going strong. All of them had shown their support for Kaylee throughout the whole show, and it really made the unfortunate mother happy to know that people outside her little family cared for her.

The fans already knew why the two singers were doing the show, but Kaylee felt as if she owed them a little more of an explanation. After finishing the song, she gave her guitar to Dustin, who took it off the stage, and she sat on a stool, beside Kira.

"Before we start this last song, I just wanted to thank you guys," she smiled. "I know I haven't done much singing lately, and Kira's still starting out her career, but it really means a lot to me and Dustin that you guys showed up."

"As you probably all know, I had a miscarriage a few days ago. The doctors still have no idea why it happened," Kaylee lied. She couldn't let the world know about her ninja training just because of Samantha, "but that doesn't change the fact that it happened, and it hurt. Though I had no idea I was pregnant before I lost Sammy, that didn't change anything to the way I felt about losing her. Since the day I was born I've always wanted to be a mother. My dollies would be real babies to me, and I took better care of them then my older sister took care of me."

At that, the crowd started laughing. Tori also had to laugh too. She knew it was true. Even before their parents passed away, Tori was always a protective older sister to Kaylee. But she had to admit, that her care for Kaylee came nowhere near Kaylee's care for her dolls.

"Some of you guys can probably relate to how I'm feeling. Losing a loved one is never easy; especially when that person was growing inside of you. So Sammy, this song is for you."

_I miss you_

_Miss you so bad_

_I don't forget you_

_Oh, it's so sad._

_I hope you can hear me_

_I remember it clearly..._

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

"That was beautiful," a girl smiled, walking up to Kaylee and Kira as the two finished putting their instruments away.

"Thanks," Kaylee smiled weakly, longing to get back home where her doll was waiting for her. Leanne had hit the money when she said Kaylee was going through a stage of denial. "Did you like the show, Lils?"

"Yeah," Lily nodded, happy one of her idols remembered her.

"We're glad you made it then," Kira smiled. "I know it really means a lot to Kaylee to see her fans show up."

Kaylee nodded before taking her guitar and Kira's backstage, promising the yellow Ranger she would be back soon. Kira could understand why Kaylee was being unusually cold, but wanted to make it up to the girl who seemed to only have Kaylee's best interest in mind.

"She's still a little heartbroken about everything," Kira explained. "But how about I sign your ticket for you? Who do I make it out too?"

"Lily Chilman," the girl answered, giving the singer her tickets to sign. Lily had already met Kaylee before, but she didn't get the chance to meet Kira. Quickly, Kira put her name on the paper and gave it back.

Kaylee can back as Kira finished with the tickets. "Kir, we gotta go," she said. Kira nodded and gave Lily a hug goodbye before turning to Kaylee.

"Can you do me a favour and take the amps to the car?" Kira asked as she put her bag over her shoulder and held the extra concert shirts in her other hand. Kaylee nodded, walking up next to Lily, who was beside the amps.

She knew she had been a little cold to Lily moments ago, so she smiled at the girl and gave her a hug as well.

"Thanks for the support, Lils. You always seem to have my back in times like these," Kaylee smiled.

When Lily's body came in contact with Kaylee's, visions went through her head. She saw Kaylee in the hospital as a woman told her the bad news about the miscarriage. Then it moved onto Kaylee holding her little doll, as if it was her child. It finally stopped on a vision of Kaylee and Kira singing on stage, with Kaylee not paying much attention to anything going on.

Kaylee and Lily broke apart and smiled before the green Ranger took the amp and walked off.

"Thanks for coming to the show!" she called.

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

After saying their goodbyes, and many thank yous, Kaylee and the other ninjas parted ways with Kira and Conner. After all, the two had only planned on coming down from Reefside for the day. Conner had to get back to his camps and Kira was working on her music, so they didn't want to stay too long.

Dustin and Kaylee finally went back to their own house, instead of going back with Tori and Blake. When they got inside, Kaylee walked straight up the stairs, with her doll in her arms, and got ready to put it to bed.

"If she's not snapping back to reality in a few days, I'm so doing an intervention," Dustin whispered to himself as he pulled the milk carton out from the fridge. He forgot to check the expiry date and quickly poured himself some milk. He took a sip, and spit it out as soon as the sour milk passed over his lips.

"Alright, maybe not something as harsh as an intervention, maybe just a good talk," he frowned, wiping the milk from his mouth.

He was about to get a glass of water to wash the taste down, when he heard a loud thump coming from upstairs, followed by another few.

Dropping the glass, he bolted up the stairs, taking them two, even three at a time as he ran to his and Kaylee's bedroom. He opened the door and found Kaylee, in the middle of the room, crying. She was holding her doll with one hand, and its head in the other.

Kaylee looked up at her fiancé and threw the head at him.

"It's your fault!" Kaylee yelled, ripping the doll's limbs off for more ammo. "Everything's your fault!"

The doll's head missed Dustin's by a few inches, and the yellow Ranger was lucky enough to catch the two arms and legs. The body however hit Dustin in the stomach.

"Would you mind explaining how it's all my fault?" Dustin asked, picking up the doll's head and body and putting it back together. Kaylee probably didn't want the doll back, but it was her doll since she was a toddler, so he didn't want to have to throw it away.

"Because you and your stupid proposal!" Kaylee yelled, dropping to the ground. "If you never proposed, we never would have had sex, I would have had my period and life would be normal!"

Dustin slowly shook his head in understanding. Kaylee had put a lot of color into her explanation and he could see why she thought it was his fault, especially when she was in her anger phase.

He sat down next to her and pulled her onto his lap. He rocked her gently as he spoke softly.

"Kayl, this isn't your fault, and it's not my fault," he whispered in her ear. "It was a freak accident. No one could have known, and no one could have stopped it."

"I could have known," Kaylee whispered. "If I wasn't so stupid and took freaking pregnancy test when I knew I was late... Sammy would still be here."

Dustin let his head fall back in frustration. Apparently the anger phase had two parts to it.

"Kayl, don't blame yourself," he whispered.

"But I even saw I was getting bigger... and I was too stupid..."

"Will you shut up already?" Dustin smiled. "It's not your fault. I noticed it too and the one time I act like a gentlemen it bites me in the butt."

Kaylee looked up at the man she loved and frowned. "You thought I was fat?"

"Not fat exactly... but gaining a few pounds... in the belly, and the butt, and maybe the boobs... yeah!" Dustin stuttered, regretting pulling the angry woman on his lap. Now she had him pinned down.

Kaylee bit her lower lip and raised her eyebrows. Just like with Tori, that was never a good sign.

"But you were still beautiful Kayl," Dustin smiled. "And cute, and funny, and strong! So strong, that you could beat the shit out of stupid me. But you were also smart. Smart enough to know that beating a poor, innocent boy is wrong."

Kaylee smiled and gently pushed Dustin away. Dustin could have sworn he heard a laugh coming from her, so he kept the compliments coming. "And, you're the bravest person I know. You've risked your life so many times to help keep the world safe from people like Lothor, or that frozen dude!"

"Flurious?" Kaylee laughed.

"Yeah! Frosty!" Dustin smiled. "And, you're giving. Like, at Christmas when you bought not only the overdrive Rangers expense gifts, without getting a gift in return, but you bought me a gift, and your sister and Kira. Hell you bough Blake a gift, and I don't think you even really like him!"

"He took Tori away," Kaylee pouted. Dustin laughed and hugged his future wife. Since Tori and Blake had gotten married, the blue Ranger had been spending more time with Blake, and less with Kaylee. And since the girl's parents were dead, Tori was the only family Kaylee had. Though the younger sister was happy for Tori and Blake, there was still a part of her that hated Blake for taking Tori away from her. It was a feeling you would expect from a two year old, but if anyone knew Kaylee at all, they would know that a lot of the things she did mimicked the actions of a two year old.

"But you know what," Dustin continued. "Even when you were getting fatter, you were still putting other people's needs before your own. Remember when we met the wild force team? You gave up your life for Alyssa's?"

A small smile can to Kaylee's mouth as an idea hit her. She still had power over the gems of souls. It was inside her. She could summon it and she could bring people back to life! It could cost her her own life, but she didn't give a damn at this point. She jumped up and ran for the door.

"Where are you going?" Dustin called, getting up off the floor and following the blonde.

"Monkey butt!" Kaylee yelled from downstairs, not wanting Dustin to know her plans. If he did, he was sure to stop her. That was the last thing she wanted.

Dustin groaned when he heard the infamous Monkey butt. Kaylee was hiding something from him. Normally he would just let it go, but with the miscarriage and Kaylee's sensitivity to it, he thought it would be best if he followed her.

He knew the stages of grief. He had been through them all already. First there was denial, which Kaylee had gone through with the doll. Then there was anger. Kaylee had just shown him she was in her anger phase by ripping up her doll and chucking it at his head.

After that, there was bargaining. Dustin had no idea if Kaylee had just reached this stage or not, but he knew he had to be careful with it. He was afraid that Kaylee would go back to blaming herself, and would try to change her look, or personality to see if it would bring Samantha back.

After bargaining, there was depression. Dustin didn't even want to think about what that would mean. So he decided to cross that bridge when he got to it.

Finally, the best stage was acceptance. Thanks to Shane, Dustin had gone through all five stages before Kaylee showed much denial to the death of Sam. He was really thankful now that Kaylee was proving to be unpredictable.

"You know I don't understand monkey speak!" Dustin yelled out the door while putting his coat on. When he got one arm through the sleeve, he saw something shine from the ground. He picked it up and frowned.

"Kaylee..." he sighed, shoving the thing in his pocket and running after Kaylee, only to realise she took the car. "Daughter of an ass!"

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

After calling both Tori and Leanne, the three arrived to the beach and found Kaylee standing on the grassy ledge, looking out to the ocean.

"Thank God," Tori smiled, looking up at her sister.

"The hell do you think you're doing, Blondie?" Leanne yelled. Kaylee looked down the three and frowned.

"Bringing Sammy back," she said. "I can do it! I know I can!"

"Kayl! If you use that, you're going to die!" Dustin yelled, holding up the piece of the gem of souls he found at the house. Kaylee must have accidentally knocked dropped the rock when she summoned it from inside her, because she held the other half in her hand.

"I don't care!" Kaylee yelled.

"Get down here, and we'll start training again! If you're still mad about all this I'll let you beat on Hunter!" Leanne frowned.

"I'm not mad," Kaylee smiled innocently.

"This must be anger and a half way to bargaining," Dustin frowned, earning confused gazes from Tori, Leanne and Kaylee.

"Kayl, get back here!" Tori smiled. "You don't have to do this! Sammy wouldn't want you to!"

"I want to, Tor!" Kaylee frowned. "She's all I didn't have!"

This time, Kaylee was the one receiving confused looked from the three down at the beach.

"What do you mean?" Tori asked. "You have Dustin, and me, and..."

"No I don't!" Kaylee yelled. "You're always with Blake! I'm never at home because of stupid Ranger business and everyone else just sucks!"

"Thank you," Leanne frowned.

"At least with Sammy... she could have been there with me... she could have had Dustin tag along with me when I leave the city... she was going to make us a family again! Now she's gone!"

Tori started climbing up the small hill to reach her sister. She stood in front of her and smiled.

"Kayl, I'm always here for you," she whispered. "We're still a family... but we're just a little messed up because of everything."

"No we're not," Kaylee sighed. "Sammy's gone... we're never going to be a family again."

Tori took the gem of souls from Kaylee's hand and put it in her pocket as Dustin and Leanne joined them up on the hill.

"Kayl, if you wanted me to come with you, you should have just asked," Dustin smiled, pulling his wife in a hug.

"You're going to have to be trained though," Leanne smirked.

"I don't care," Dustin smiled. "Kaylee's wrong about not having a family, but she's right about us having to spend more time together. I promise you Kayl, I'll be with you for this mission."

"And I'll show up whenever you need me," Tori promised. "Hell, I'm sure even Kira's going to tag along."

Kaylee smiled and put her hand on her stomach. Maybe Sammy was dead, but she did bring Kaylee closer to her family.


	4. Growing Old

"Alright, I think that's enough," Leanne laughed as both Dustin and Kaylee collapsed to the floor, exhausted. As a part of their training, they had been sparring for hours on end.

"You think?" Kaylee breathed.

Leanne laughed again, grabbing a clipboard and checking off a few boxes. Kaylee got off the floor and walked up beside her, trying to look over the doctor's shoulder to get a sneak peek at her animal spirit. Leanne quickly covered the clipboard and turned to the blond.

"You could have asked," she smirked. Kaylee laughed nervously and backed away, giving her mentor a little breathing room.

"So? Can we know?" Dustin asked, not even trying to get off the floor.

"Yours was easy," Leanne said, pointing her pencil to Dustin. "You're already an earth ninja, so your spirit is the lion."

"Like my Zord was," Dustin smiled. "Sweet!"

"And me?" Kaylee asked, reaching for the clipboard. She was impatient as hell for Leanne to reveal her spirit.

"I can't tell you," Leanne smiled, handing the blonde a water bottle. Kaylee's face dropped in disappointment.

"But you said I just had to ask!" she frowned.

"You did, and I gave you an answer," Leanne said.

"How come he can know and I can't!" Kaylee pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I spoke to master Mao before taking over your training," Leanne started, putting the clipboard on a high shelf. Though it wasn't going to stop the green Ranger, it was going to slow her down, if she was ever going to try and get it. "He told me the animal spirit he believed you had. I'm here to see if you pass the tests required to unlock that spirit. So if I told you what your spirit was, and the tests you had to pass, you wouldn't pass them."

"Huh?" Kaylee frowned. She was going to turn to Leanne for a translation, but it was the red head that confused her. She would have turned to Dustin, but she was the smart one in their relationship.

"It's cheating," Leanne translated. Kaylee nodded, showing the Thunder Samurai she understood.

"I'll see you girls later," Dustin smiled, finally getting off the floor and grabbing his bag. Kaylee turned to her fiancé and frowned.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Lunch with Shane, Blake, Cam and Hunter," he smiled. "You're not the only one who lost a baby."

As Dustin left, Leanne noticed Kaylee's face fall.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I completely forgot about Sammy," Kaylee whispered, sitting on a cushion on the floor. Her legs were tucked under her body so she could lean comfortably on the small table. "How could I forget about her?"

"The same way you forget about a lot of stuff," Leanne said, sitting on the cushion beside the blonde. "You were distracted by something else."

"I get distracted easily, don't I?" Kaylee asked.

"Kinda," Leanne laughed, but stopped when Kaylee glared at her.

"I'm like a stupid kid," Kaylee sighed, remembering back in her Dino Thunder days when a meteor had changed her from her responsible child persona, to a mature and irresponsible adult. At the time, she was happy to be back to her normal self but not anymore.

"What does that mean?"

"What if I was never supposed to have Sammy?" Kaylee asked, turning to Leanne and looking at her, showing the red head she was being serious. "Kids can't raise kids! I'm basically a kid in adult's body!"

"Kayl-"

"You know what, I don't want to talk about it," Kaylee frowned. "I just wanna be alone."

Kaylee tried to stand, but her legs had gone numb from the lack of circulation. She crashed to the ground and landed on her back.

"You okay?" Leanne asked, getting up slowly so the same thing didn't happen to her.

Kaylee shook her head as her fist punched the ground. "Just leave me alone."

"Okay, but Sensei's going to be in here soon to-"

"I don't care," Kaylee whispered.

Leanne sighed, leaving the green Ranger alone. In the game room, Tori was sitting on the couch reading a book.

"I don't get why people like this thing," she told the Sensei. "It's a stupid book with no plot whatsoever."

"How about a book where a girl is dealing with grief, and is destined to save the world," Leanne suggested, hinting to the older sister what had happened in the training room. Tori put the book down and frowned.

"I thought she reached acceptance," she sighed. Leanne didn't say anything; she just shook her head, slowly. "Want me to talk to her?"

"I don't know what good that'll do," Leanne warned the blonde. "She's fallen into depression."

"What did you do to her?"

"Dustin mentioned Sammy," Leanne explained. "And I agreed when she called herself childish. I dunno how that brought her mood down."

"Oh..." Tori breathed. She knew what was wrong. She took off down the hall, and knocked on the door to the training room.

"Guess who," she whispered, opening the door. She was a little surprised to find Kaylee lying on the floor. "Get up before you make your uniform all dusty."

"No... I'll just lie here until I grow old... if I can ever grow old..." Kaylee sighed. Tori rolled her eyes before lying down next to her little sister. She put her arm under Kaylee's shoulder and hugged her as they rested on the ground.

"Kayl, you're not upset that you're still childish, are you?" she asked.

"Kids shouldn't raise kids... I didn't deserve Sammy... that's why she's gone."

"Kayl..." Tori laughed. "You're probably the best person to raise a child. Sure you're childish, but you're responsible as well. Any child would be lucky to have you as a mom. What happened to Sammy has nothing to do with you."

"Still..."

"There are no stills! And no buts!" Tori frowned. "Kaylee, get this through your head. There was nothing you could have done to stop this. Remember when you came home that one day? And because of the meteor, you were all grown up."

Kaylee nodded, looking up at the ceiling.

"You scared the shit out of me!" Tori laughed.

Kaylee bit her lower lip as a small giggle escaped.

"If you ever grow up, I swear I will kick your ass!" Tori added, gently poking Kaylee's sides to keep her laughing. "Just be who you are, and your next child will love you. Sammy already does."

"How do you know?" Kaylee asked, wiping away a few tears as she sat up.

"All kids love you Kay. I've seen their smiles when you volunteer at the youth center." Tori smiled. "Just... don't change, Kayl... we all love the happy, hyper, childish and carefree Kaylee."

"You know, this is really cute and all," Dustin smiled, walking into the Ninja ops wearing a yellow dress shirt and black pants. He had just gotten back from lunch and was ready for his dinner date with his fiancée. "But Kaylee and I have a dinner date and our reservation is in an hour... so she's kinda gotta get out of her uniform and into something a little more... not secret academy like."

Tori's eyebrows flew up as a smile formed on her lips, "I see... I should go then... I wouldn't wanna keep you from your date."

As the blue Ranger ran out, Dustin turned to Kaylee. "I hate when her eyebrows go up. It always means shit for one of us guys... and I'm alone in here."

Kaylee laughed, sitting on the ground with her legs crossed, looking up at her fiancé, "Yeah, but this was an eyebrow/smile combo. That means I'm in for shit after our date. And by shit, I mean she's gonna wanna know all the details."

Dustin laughed, helping her off the ground so she could get changed. As Kaylee walked out, she turned to Dustin.

"Can you do me a favour?" she asked. Dustin nodded. "Make sure she's not inviting Kira over. I don't wanna be mobbed by two of my older sisters."

"Only if you promise not to change," Dustin smiled, kissing his future bride.

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

"Nice little place you found," Kaylee commented, sitting down at her table, opposite of Dustin. He smiled at her, taking the menu from the waiter.

"I hoped you would like it," Dustin laughed.

"Dustin, there's a robot monkey swinging from roof tile to roof tile... you had to hope I would like it?"

"Okay, I knew you would like it," Dustin smiled, looking up at the monkey as it flew over his table.

Kaylee looked over at her future husband and sighed. She reached over and took his hand in hers. "Can I ask you something?"

Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Dustin's smile fell, "Of course."

"How did you get over Sammy's death?"

Kaylee turned over Dustin's arm, exposing the spot where his tattoo used to be.

"I'm not over it," Dustin frowned. "I'm just.... I've accepted it. There's no way we can go back in time and stop it... we just have to move on. That's what our little saying means."

"Never Known, Never Forgotten, Always Loved," Kaylee breathed softly.

"I'll never forget her," Dustin smiled. "But why should I be upset about something I can't change?"

"I guess you're right..."

There was a small silence, until Dustin pulled his hand away from Kaylee's. Kaylee looked up at him, and saw him wiping his eyes. She smiled softly, getting up from her chair and running to his side of the table.

"Wanna go to the park to talk?" she asked, taking his hand again and leading him to the door.

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

Kaylee sat down on a park bench, and pulled Dustin on her lap, holding him as he tried to keep himself from crying.

"Aww, you're such a baby," she teased, letting him rest his head on her shoulder.

"So sue me if I'm upset about our daughter being dead," Dustin said.

"I don't care that you're crying," Kaylee smiled, rubbing small circles on his back. "But you crying is making me cry because I'm thinking of Sammy!"

As Kaylee's laughter turned into sobs, Dustin moved off her lap and pulled her onto him, the way it should have been. The two of the sat on the park bench, laughing and crying as they remember the few months they had with Sammy, even if she wasn't really there.

"Remember, when you threw up in the middle of the night, and thought you ate something funny at the restaurant?" Dustin laughed.

"That wasn't funny! You ordered the meat surprise! I spent a whole month thinking I ate duck!" Kaylee frowned.

"Kayl, like I would really let someone feed you duck," Dustin laughed.

Kaylee shook her head. He spoke the truth. Last time a waited suggested a duck special, Dustin had to keep himself from punching the innocent guy.

"You know... Sammy's not really dead," Kaylee smirked, looking over at Dustin as he sighed.

"Not again... Kayl, she's not coming back!"

"No... to die, you have to be alive, right?" Kaylee giggled.

"I guess," Dustin frowned.

"And to be alive, you have to be born, right?"

"Sure, why not."

"So, because I never gave birth to Sammy, she was never alive, therefore, she never died."

Dustin shook his head in disbelief as he laughed. "You're crazy, Kayl."

"I know I am, but it makes sense. How can you die, if you were never born?"

"Whatever helps you move on Kaylee," Dustin laughed, putting one arm under Kaylee's knees and picking her up as he carried her home.

"Hey, my logic is my own," Kaylee laughed. "If you don't understand it, then I have no idea why I agreed to marry you."

"Kaylee..." Dustin laughed.

"Yeah?"

"Shut-up," Dustin smiled, kissing the woman in his arms.


	5. Flash Forward

"HOLY SHIT!" Leanne yelled, ducking to avoid a swift kick in the head from Kaylee.

"HA! Once again, the student has kicked the sensei's... uh, master's ass!" Kaylee giggled, dropping her fighting stance. After six months of non-stop training, Kaylee had improved and was close to unleashing her animal spirit. Dustin had unleashed his a few months before, but Kaylee was the one Master Mao wanted... needed.

"Congratulations, Kayl," Tori smiled. "I think you're ready."

"Really?" Kaylee's eyes widened as she looked over at her Master eagerly. "Really? Really, what do I have? A tiger? A cheetah? Jaguar? Lion?"

"Leopard," Leanne smiled. "Snow Leopard to be exact."

"Aww, my spirit's going to be a cutie pie!" Kaylee cooed. "Now... I fight leopard style."

"Kayl... we didn't base your spirit on your fighting skills," Leanne admitted. Kaylee glared at her, confused and a little ticked off.

"So I worked my ass off for nothing?" she asked.

"In these past six months, you've been put through hell. But you showed us all, that no matter what, you'll find a way. You kept going, even after you gave up. Sure you needed us to snap you back to reality, but you always did come back." Leanne smiled.

"So... that means?"

"You're strong, quick, and confidant. The main qualities of the leopard." Leanne explained.

"But, fighting wise, Leanne says..." Tori grabbed Leanne's clipboard and read off it. "Your trust your instincts to lead you to victory. And, no matter how close you came to losing, you never gave up. You kept pushing forward. You kept hoping and you always came out on top."

"Perseverance." Leanne smiled. She put a hand on Kaylee's shoulder. "You know what to do now."

Kaylee nodded, looking over at Dustin before smiling. "Call to the beast inside, bring out the Leopard!"

A green snow leopard emerged from her body, bouncing around the room. Kaylee giggled, watching it, before it jumped back inside her. For a few seconds, her body was glowing green as the leopard settled into its new home.

When his fiancée stopped glowing, Dustin ran up to her, hugging her tight.

"I did the math," Dustin whispered into her ear. "Today, you should have been in the hospital, giving birth to our daughter."

Kaylee pulled herself in closer, resting her head on Dustin's shoulder, smiling.

It had been nine months since Sammy was first with her.

Close to six months since she realised she had a daughter, Sammy's death and her funeral.

It had been five and a half months since Kaylee and Kira's concert.

It had been four months since Kaylee had moved on.

And it had been two months since Tori announced her own pregnancy. Kaylee had been both overjoyed and upset when her sister announced the miracle. She was happy to finally be an Aunt. There was going to be a little baby running around that would be able to call Kaylee Aunt. But at the same time, this child wouldn't be Sammy. It wasn't fair that Tori got her kid, while Kaylee's was ripped away before she even knew it existed.

"I wonder..." Dustin smiled, pulling away from Kaylee. "We're definitely going to have another kid, right?"

Kaylee nodded. "Duh."

"So... what do you think'll happen. Is it going to be painful, because of Sammy... or is it going to be the best moment in our lives?"

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

"_C'mon Kaylee, only a little more to go!" Dustin coached as he stood beside his wife, holding her hand._

"_Shut... the... Zwop... up!" Kaylee yelled, squeezing his hand tighter. Dustin looked down at his white hand, knowing it would never be the same again._

"_I love you too honey," Dustin said._

_Suddenly, a loud cry was heard in the room. Dustin felt Kaylee let go of his hand as a baby rested in Leanne's arms._

"_Congratulations," she smiled, putting the baby on Kaylee's chest. Kaylee gently put her hand on the baby's back, not caring that it was covered in blood and God-knows-what._

_The doctor's next words shocked the new parents, "It's a girl."_

_When Kaylee and Dustin realised they were expecting, they decided not to know the sex of the baby. They were too afraid that knowing was going to somehow jinx the pregnancy. They were scared this was going to happen. They were scared they were going to have a girl._

"_Her birthday is February 14__th__, 2010," Leanne announced. She knew the parents were fully aware of the date, but she wanted to make it official for them. "I'll just wash her up, and you can hold her again."_

_Kaylee nodded, letting the doctor take her daughter. She looked up at Dustin and kissed him._

"_So, are you hurting?" she asked._

"_She's never going to take Sammy's spot..." Dustin frowned, looking away from his wife. "She never could... and she never would..."_

"_Dustin... she's your daughter... you can't..."_

"_She's got her own spot, Kayl," Dustin smiled. "Right between you and Sammy."_

_Kaylee's smile went from one ear to the other as she put her hand on Dustin's chest, right by his heart._

"_I love you, daddy," she whispered, kissing him again._

"_I love you too, mommy," Dustin smiled._

_Leanne came back with the little girl, wrapped in a pink baby blanket. She put her in her mother's arms and sat down beside the bed._

"_What're you gonna name the little bugger?"_

"_Well... we didn't plan on it being a girl," Kaylee admitted. "We've been in denial."_

"_Obviously," Leanne laughed, looking down at the small girl. She noticed the pink blanket, and the pink streak in Kaylee's hair. "Umm... want me to get the blue blanket so she doesn't have to wear Sammy's colour?"_

"_Naw, it's fine," Dustin smiled, stealing his daughter from Kaylee. "Sammy is her older sister anyways."_

"_So, is it just baby girl for now?" Leanne asked._

"_Lemme talk to the others," Kaylee smiled. "They might have a few ideas. After all, Tori must have thought of at least one girl name when she was pregnant with Mike."_

"_I'll bring her in then," Leanne said. She walked out of the room, realising the others had no idea they had a new niece. For all they knew, Kaylee was still pushing a baby out of her crotch._

"_Oh, this is going to be fun," she smirked. "After two years of Tori and Kira rubbing their beautiful brats in my face... oh... they're going to regret the day they ever messed with Leanne Omino."_

_Making her way to the waiting room, Leanne forced a few tears from her eyes. She walked into the room, her lower lip quivering._

"_So?" Tori asked, jumping up from her seat when she saw the red head coming from the door. Her face dropped when she saw Leanne was crying. "Leah..."_

"_What happened in there?" Kira asked, coming up beside Tori._

"_Dustin's in there... he needs help," Leanne said._

"_What. Happened?" Kira asked, putting her hand on Tori's shoulder and squeezing it gently._

"_It's a girl!" Leanne smiled, throwing her hands in the air before running for her life, followed closely by Tori and Kira._

"_I'm going to kick your ass so hard!" Tori yelled, chasing the doctor around the room._

"_I didn't do anything!" Leanne called back, jumping over a chair and taking cover behind Cam. "All I said was Dustin needs help... picking a name for your new niece!"_

_Tori stopped in her tracks, forcing Kira to bump into her. The two looked around. They were the only ones in the waiting room at the time, so the __**no powers in public**__ rule didn't apply._

_Kira opened her mouth, causing Leanne to scream and duck behind Cam._

"_You know Leah, you're lucky you're my niece's doctor," Tori smirked evilly, "because if you weren't, I would kill you here, and now!"_

"_Uh... I'll uh... take you to her room," Leanne said nervously. "Sorry Kira, only immediate family is allowed."_

_Kira nodded in understanding, sitting down beside Conner so she could wait for more news._

_-----Earning-The-Leopard-----_

"_Knock knock," Tori smiled, opening the door and walking into the room._

"_Who's there?" Kaylee asked._

"_Aunt Tori."_

"_I'm sorry... who?" Kaylee teased. Tori frowned, but it quickly changed into a smile when she saw the baby in her sister's arms._

"_I haven't seen something this cute since Michael was born," Tori cooed, gently taking the baby from Kaylee's arms and cradling her, "Hi sweetie."_

"_Tori, I told you, call me Dustin," Dustin laughed, playfully fixing his hair._

"_So, Leanne told me you needed help with something," Tori asked, looking up from her niece for a second._

"_Yeah... what were you going to call Mike if he were a girl?" Dustin asked._

"_Um... Leanne lied to me," Tori smiled. "We knew he was a boy before we even thought of naming him."_

_Kaylee's eyebrows shot up as she gave a sister a look, "Tori, you're a girl; you couldn't have not thought of a girl name for a future baby as a kid."_

"_Well, I did always like Hayden," Tori smiled._

_Kaylee and Dustin exchanged glances, smiling._

"_Hayden Victoria Brooks?" Kaylee asked her husband. Dustin nodded._

"_Like it's supposed to be."_

_-----Earning-The-Leopard-----_

"_Don't slam the... Conner..." Dustin groaned, as Conner winced when the door made a loud bang as it shut._

"_Sorry, dude," Conner said. He noticed Hayden was sleeping in her carrier on the kitchen counter, beside Dustin. Apparently the noise didn't wake her. "Or not..."_

"_It's not her I'm worried about," Dustin sighed as another door slammed shut. "Hayden can sleep through a Lothor attack... it's...."_

"_THE HELL!"_

"_Kaylee..." Dustin sighed. "She just fell asleep. Dude, we're in for hell right now."_

"_Conner, you idiot! You don't slam a door when there's a mother and a two day old child in the house! You'd think you would know after having those goddamn twins of yours!"_

_Conner slowly backed away, knowing Kaylee was about ready to kill him. He felt his back hit the wall beside the door. Bringing his hands up to protect his face, he was saved when Kira walked into the room._

"_Kayl, how are you feeling?" she asked, before seeing her husband cowering in a corner. "He slammed the door, didn't he?"_

"_Who, I don't see a door slammer. I see a dead idiot!" Kaylee frowned._

"_Aww, you're just tired," Kira smiled, hugging the new mother. "Why don't you introduce me to princess poops a lot?"_

_Kaylee glared up at Conner, pointing at him. "You're lucky Kira came, or your head would have been turned into a beautiful decoration for my fireplace!"_

_Conner swallowed, hard, as Kaylee lead Kira to the kitchen and gently picked up Hayden, careful not to wake her._

"_Kaylee, she's adorable!" Kira smiled, taking the girl from her friend's arms. "You weren't kidding when you said she was a cutie pie."_

"_Thanks," Kaylee beamed. A tear formed in her eyes when she saw Hayden was awake, and looking up at Kira. "Wanna be the godmother?"_

"_What?" Kira asked. "I thought Tori..."_

"_Tori and I talked... and, even if she's been my sister for like... ever... and even if she's done so much for me... she's already Sammy's unofficial godmother. So we both decided that you fit perfectly."_

"_I hate you so much right now," Kira said, hugging her friend, being careful not to squish the baby._

"_Great way to start," Kaylee giggled._

"_You made me do the one thing I swore I wouldn't do!" Kira frowned, wiping away a tear._

"_Aww, I made you cry!"_

"_Just a little," Kira laughed._

"_So, are you gonna take the job, or is Tori going for two for two?"_

_Kira frowned at her best friend. "Are you stupid?"_

"_Not all the time, but every once in a while the blonde hair..."_

"_DUH!" Kira laughed._

-----Earning-The-Leopard-----

"I think we're going to be okay," Kaylee smiled, looking up at her fiancé.

* * *

**Author's Note:** A little happy ending for you guys. Let me know what you thought of this little sub-season. Yes it's over, but I'm working on Jungle Fury. The first chapter for that should be up pretty soon.

Thanks for the support!


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